Government (In)Action – Days Late and Millions of Dollars Short

Aug 28, 2024

The Wheat Growers are pleased that the federal government has finally listened and invoked Sec. 107 of the Labour Act and put an end to the labour strife at both national railways.

“The Wheat Growers have called for the government to take decisive action since May 2024. Agriculture and all other industrial sectors have been held hostage by this rail strike,” stated Gunter Jochum, President.

The pre-lockout slow-down by the railways has stopped the flow of grain already and will likely take weeks to fully bring everything back up to speed. Meanwhile, our export markets have been watching and some considering alternate grain sources going forward.

To arrive at this juncture is unacceptable to consumers and producers alike. Canadians cannot face the uncertainty of a rail stoppage every year. Stronger action needs to be put in place to ensure certainty for the long-term.

“The Canadian economy has been impacted by this government’s inaction. We did not need to be in this situation,” closed Jochum.

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies